Silence and Dreams
by Michelphaba1605
Summary: Dreams parallel the future. Or so Erica Bing discovers...
1. WarningDiscovery

Disclaimer: I don't own them.

A/N: My first fic. Enjoy the show!

Erica Bing awoke from a seemingly sound sleep. She glanced around her darkened room, shrugged her shoulders and settled down to sleep once more.

_Hello, darkness my old friend_

_I've come to talk with you again_

_Because a vision softly creeping_

_Left its seeds while I was sleeping_

_And the vision_

_That was planted in my brain_

_Still remains_

_Within the sounds of silence_

Dream Sequence

Erica saw herself sitting in the recliner next to the window of her bedroom. It was thundering outside and cold lifeless rain poured down the windowpane in silver strands. Suddenly the sound of a gunshot rang out, followed by the shattering of a window, disturbing Erica's peace.

End Dream Sequence

She awoke screaming, her breath coming in ragged gasps. Something was undoubtedly wrong. Swinging her legs out of her warm bed, she ran barefoot to her parents' bedroom, not minding the fact that her feet were icy cold.

When she reached her parents room, all was eerily silent. Chandler, who usually snored, was stiff and puppetlike, his existence affirmed only by his presence on the bed. Erica crept closer, hardly daring to breathe.

Her heart nearly stopped when she saw what lay just beyond her seemingly lifeless parents.

**Shattered glass and a cold steel revolver.**

Struggling to stay calm, she called for an ambulance. She nearly broke down crying as she explained what had happened. Reassured that all would be well, Erica went to the front door to wait for the ambulance.

The next morning

The sound of her name being called jolted Erica out of a restless sleep.

"Miss Bing…Miss Bing wake up!"

Erica stared up into the face of none other than Dr. Green.

"Are my parents all right?"

"Yes, they are both out of surgery and alert, but they may have to stay here for a while. Had you not acted as quickly as you did, they would not have survived."

"Thank you Dr. Green."

When he had left, Erica fumbled for her purse and cell phone. She called Rachel.

"Hello?"

"Aunt Rachel its me. You have to get to the hospital. It's Mom and Dad."

They were interrupted by Ross yelling for Rachel to make sure the breakfast didn't burn.

"I'll call you back. I have to save the pancakes from Uncle Ross"

Erica giggled at the thought of her uncle cooking. "Kay, Bye. Oh call the cell, I'm in the ER with Mom and Dad."

Erica hung up the phone and settled in for a long wait. But not ten minutes had passed before her cell's harsh note rang out again.

"Aunt Rachel?"

"You know its not her. They may have survived the first try, but next time I'll be more careful. Watch your back."

The line went dead leaving only Erica's sobs to break the deadly silence.

A/N: Well, how was it? Review please! Michelphaba1605


	2. Love Will Heal

Erica was startled from her thoughts by the sound of an extremely familiar voice.

"Erica…Snap out of it!"

Erica's head shot up and she smiled, slightly embarrassed. Getting to her feet she embraced Aunt Rachel.

Just then a small, slightly haughty voice broke the silence once again.

"What about me!"

The indignant remark was voiced by a young toddler, Alyssa. Rachel's second child with Ross, there could be no doubt of her parentage.

Alyssa picked out her own clothes in the morning and they had to match perfectly with the chosen hair scrunchie for the day or she would throw a fit. Erica knew this quite well as the one time she had violated the rule and picked out Alyssa's clothes for her the opinionated girl had walked out the door naked and had to be dragged back inside kicking and screaming.

Shaking her head and smiling as if trying to dislodge something ticklish, Erica picked up her cousin and swung her so her head just barely brushed the low white ceiling. Erica laughed aloud at the young girl's excited squeal and set her down.

"If only happiness was always that easy."

Rachel nodded her head in agreement, but was distracted by the entrance of the doctor. Following her aunt's gaze, Erica too listened closely.

"Erica, I'm sorry to inform you that your parents have both taken a turn for the worse and are in a severe state of shock. We are doing all we can for them. Be assured that there is hope."

Erica didn't want to hear anymore. Breaking her aunt's steel grip on her hand, she ran off, the choked sound of heart broken sobs trailing behind her.

She ran blindly, knowing she had to get out of there. Her vision blurred by tears, she ran through hallway after hallway, finally reaching the main entrance.

She collapsed on the steps, exhausted. She felt like all the life was drained from her body. The world she had thought to be perfect now laid in a shambles at her feet.

But before she had a chance to sink into full despair, the gentle touch of a child brought Erica back to harsh reality.

"Ewica, why sad?" Erica realized that no one had bothered to tell Alyssa what was going on.

"Because my Mom and Dad are really sick, Alyssa…I don't know what I'll do without them."

Alyssa crawled into her older cousin's lap. Putting her arms around Erica's neck, Alyssa kissed her wetly and whispered,

"Me wuv you, Ewica."

Erica smiled sadly and hugged her back.

" I love you too Lyssa, I love you too."

_More than you know,_ Erica thought.

And they cried and rocked and cried.


	3. The Bond of Family

The two girls sat there on the hospital steps for what seemed like hours. They took so much comfort just from knowing that the other was there. But all was not well, although it seemed to be. But as we have learned, things are not always what they seem. Someone was watching them.

And that someone almost lost their steel resolve when he saw the two cousins huddled together, both deeply affected by the tragedy that he had caused. _God, she's so big. And look how beautiful she's become! _ But Joey Tribbiani had let love get in his way one too many times. _They had broken their promise. They deserve to die._

But as he started forward towards the girls, Rachel walked outside and summoned them. He would just have to wait it seemed.

Back Inside

Erica looked groggily up at Rachel as she cradled a sleeping Alyssa in her arms. She was tired and her cold, sore body ached for the familiarity of her own bed, but there was no way she would leave until she knew her parents were all right.

No sooner had that thought gone through her head than both of her parents walked towards her. They looked bruised and sore, but they were _there._ They walked towards her, smiling wanly.

"Mom! Dad!"

And they caught her in their arms, wiping away her tears. And in doing so, they erased the heavy burden that had laid in her heart for so long. And they proved that the bond of family can never be broken.

"I love you."


End file.
